


The trick to my treat

by Etstrubal



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Bakery AU, Bokuto is a nerd, Halloween, M/M, So is Tsukki really, sweets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8267969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etstrubal/pseuds/Etstrubal
Summary: Tsukki is pretty much addicted to sugar, and Bokuto makes the best sweets in town.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ayyy I should write more about these two, they are delightful

The arrival of fall signifies different things for different people. For many, it's simply a matter of weather, a transition season, a period of time between summer's heat and winter's storms. For others, it's the trees shedding their orange-yellow leaves, comfortable oversized sweatshirts, or Halloween aesthetics.

For Tsukishima Kei, it's sweets. Every year, around the beginning of October, all his favorite bakeries started working over time to make the best Halloween themed sweets in the area. Not just aesthetically pleasing, they were incredibly tasty too, and he stuffed his face with every morning coffee and evening tea. Tsukishima Kei was very lucky to have naturally fast metabolism, or by the end of every October he'd gain half his weight in fat.

This year, though, one little fact put a damper on things. He was mourning the loss of his favorite bakery, Karasuno's. They didn't move away, or went bankrupt and closed. No. It was worse. Two months prior, their incredibly talented baker apparently left. The same one who made his favorite strawberry shortcakes and who's Halloween decorations were so beautifully intricate he would feel bad for devouring them. He never met this baker, but he secretly admired them.

The bakery just wasn't the same after they left. Something was missing, even if the recipes were allegedly the same. And, worst of all, they would not be having all the Halloween themed baked goods this year. Still, life goes on, even without his most beloved October sweets.

"The regular, Tsukishima-san?" Asked the eternal cashier, a big, incredibly gentle man named Asahi. He's worked there the first day Tsukishima entered, and probably way before that, too.

Tsukishima pursed his lips. "Yes, thank you, Asahi-san." He said politely.

"Is anything the matter? You look... displeased." The broad man inquired, concerned.

Tsukishima sighed dramatically from the bottom of his long suffering soul. "It's just... It's October first. Today, you'd usually already have the blood cupcakes and little white chocolate fangs and everything. I miss those." He said with an expression so tragic that it would be best kept in the confines of a cemetery.

"Um, we don't have them here, but I mean, driving half an hour to Bokuto-san's bakery probably isn't that bad if you really want them..." Asahi mumbled regretfully.

Wait. Hold on a minute. Bokuto... The name rang a bell. He vaguely remembered a diploma hanging on the wall behind the cash register that might have carried the name. "Is Bokuto-san the previous baker who left?"

Asahi nodded.

"And he... Has his own place now?" Tsukishima asked carefully, trying to contain his excitement. If he raises his hopes just to have them shattered again...

But no. All was well. "Yes, you didn't know? He finally saved enough money to open his own bakery. We were all very happy for him, even if it meant he's leaving this place."

Tsukishima barely even heard Asahi speaking over the voice of the little sugar monster in his mind yelling at him _yes yes yes go go go yes yes yes go right now!_ "Could I have the address please?" He asked politely, not giving any shits about the fact he's basically telling him he's ditching their shop as a regular.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Asahi said awkwardly. He scribbled the address on a piece of paper and handed it over. "Come visit some time, okay?" The big man requested kindly. He probably knew Tsukishima won't be coming back a whole lot after that day.

"I'll make sure to, thanks." He gave the other a small encouraging smile. Abandoning Asahi made him feel a little guilty, but he would sell Yamaguchi to ISIS if it meant he could have one of Bokuto's mummy shaped gingerbread man again. He wasn't missing this opportunity. Leaving the man wasn't so bad of a price.

~

There was a small sign outside the shop that said "Bokuto's Bakery! Best owling sweets in town! Also bread!" with a small, simplistic sketch of a happy looking owl. In hindsight, that should have been a red flag. Owls just aren't meant to look cheerful. They are intelligent, graceful animals, Tsukishima always thought. But at the time Tsukishima barely glanced at it before entering.

"Hey hey hey!" A booming voice welcomed him.

Kei winced. He hated people who were loud for no reason. "Hello," he greeted the cashier mildly. He was a man around his age, maybe slightly older, with pointy eyebrows, entire stripes of his hair bleached and dyed white, and the most glorious biceps the blond has seen for a long, long while. Damn. He could probably bench press him without any problem. _Did he live at the gym or something?_ "Is this the shop of the man who used to work at Karasuno's?" The sign did say Bokuto, but he had to make sure.

"Sure is! I'm the man himself, Bokuto Koutarou, nice to meet you!" The man beamed at him, his smile as broad as his barrel-like chest.

"You're... You're Bokuto? You bake all these?" Tsukishima asked slowly, gesturing around him to the shelves loaded with sweets and other baked goods.

"Yup!" Bokuto chuckled. "Did you expect a girl? A lot of people do, even though Koutarou isn't really a feminine name. But it's all me!"

Tsukishima begun wondering if the man was even capable of talking normally instead of exclaiming everything that came out of his mouth. He grimaced, mentally groaning. Was this really the man he admired? He seemed so... simple. Tsukishima had envisioned someone sophisticated, refined, and for some reason, dark haired. Well. Life always store surprises for you. The important thing is he wouldn't have to settle for lesser quality sweets now.

"That's very impressive. Yours were my favorite, even back when you worked at Karasuno's. Your Halloween bakes are amazing." Kei said politely.

"Really?" The man perked up even more, genuine joy reflecting in his eyes. Kei had to admit it was at least a little endearing. It was only one little compliment after all. "You came looking for me because you missed my baking?"  
Tsukishima nodded reluctantly. It was true, but a little embarrassing, to go through all this trouble just to get slightly higher quality. "I like sweet things a lot." He explained with a shrug.

"What are your favorites?" Bokuto asked excitedly, slamming his hands on the counter and leaning closer.  
"Strawberry shortcake in general, but if you meant Halloween themed then it's your Gingerbread-mummies. I could eat those alone for days and not get sick of them."

"Oh! We ran out of those just half an hour ago, sorry." Bokuto deflated visibly, but then perked up again as he remembered, "I do have one this red velvet strawberry shortcake I tried to make this morning through! It's supposed to look like guts, but it's pretty experimental so I'm not sure how well it turned out..." He rubbed the back of his head, unsure.

All these mood swings were making Tsukishima dizzy, honestly. It was a little hard to follow them, but also... It _was_ pretty cute. Like an overexcitable child. With ADHD maybe. And he was pretty hot, too. And pretty in general. Oh shit. Was he crushing on this man? Fuck. "I'm sure it's as aesthetic and delicious as everything else you make." Tsukishima encouraged him, his lips curling upwards just a tiny bit.

It was more than enough for Bokuto, apparently. "You think so?" He beamed. "I'll get it for you! On the house!"  
_Free sweets? Fuck, that one's a keeper,_ Tsukishima thought before he could stop himself. Bokuto was already fetching it from a back room by the time he realized he really shouldn't accept the offer.

"So how much is this?" Kei asked, wallet in hand, when Bokuto placed a small plastic container into a bag.

"No, no, no, I told you, this one is on the house. It's an experiment, I can't sell it." He practically pushed the bag into Kei's hands over the counter, grinning at him. "And besides, I appreciate a guy who likes quality sweets."

Tsukishima huffed. How insistent. He tried telling himself he doesn't find it gentlemany, but even he didn't buy that shit. The gesture was undeniably charming. Still, he pulled a 20$ bill and put it in the tip jar.

Bokuto looked like he might protest for a moment, but then started laughing instead. His laugh was free, and real, and beautiful. "You're a smartass!" He observed, for some reason delighted by this fact.

Tsukishima looked away. Fuck, he can't crush on this man. _Wait, why not actually?_ Oh, that's right, he was probably straight. _Or was he?_ He was a baker after all. _Isn't that stereotypical and offensive, though?_ Whatever. He decided he was crushing on this man anyway. Those biceps are worth whatever emotional pain he might possibly go through later. "Sometimes." He agreed. "Thank you for the cake." He said quietly, looking down at the other. "I look forward to eating it later."

"Let me know if you liked it, okay?" Bokuto grinned at him.

"Of course." Kei agreed. "I'll come by tomorrow, so make sure you don't run out of gingerbread mummies." He allowed a small, playful smirk. Just to test the waters.

"For sure! I'll make some special ones just for you!" In his excitement, Bokuto nearly yelled the words at him.  
Amused, Kei calmly said, "You don't have to, the regular ones are special enough already."

"No, no! I'll make them extra special, don't worry! You won't be disappointed!" He insisted.

"Alright then. I'll look forward to those as well." He bowed his head, and after Bokuto's "Okay!" and a quick exchange of goodbyes, exited the store.

By all standards, finding his very anticipated sweets again and meeting an adorable, buff baker in the process made for a very good afternoon.

~

Tsukishima came back the next day. Bokuto welcomed him with just as much cheer as the day before. And the coolest fucking gingerbread mummies he's ever seen. The details were incredible. Again, Bokuto told him they're experimental, and refused to take money. And again, Kei just left money in the tip jar instead. He came back every day that month. And every day, Bokuto welcomed him with a grin, and his most creative new creations. For free.

Their meetings lengthened with each passing day, Bokuto enthusiastically prying details about Tsukishima's work and life and happily answering the blond's polite questions. He laughed at Tsukishima's sarcastic jokes, and tried to play along with them to his best ability, even though he was a little too sincere to really make them work. Tsukishima's first impression of a simple man was somewhat true, but only because he was so straightforward and to the point. People tended to underestimate him because his mannerisms seemed childish (including Kei himself, at the start), but when it came to it, the man was surprisingly mature.

"It's the one thing that calms me down," Bokuto explained one day when Tsukishima asked how he has the patience to work on all the little details when he can't seem to stop moving. When Bokuto was talking, he did it with his entire body. Animated expressions, flailing hands, occasionally jumping up and down excitedly. Imagining him working on his designs for hours at a time without growing restless was hard.

"I grew up with a lot of siblings, and we didn't get much alone time with our parents. I guess that even as a kid I realized that I could help my mom in the kitchen, and get her attention that way. So I did, and it was fun. When I cook, and bake specifically, I just get sucked into it and relax. It's like magic." His eyes softened as he talked, filling up with deep love and appreciation for his profession.

Kei wondered what it'd feel like to have those eyes look at him the same way.

Towards the end of the month, Tsukishima was almost completely sure that his little (not that little anymore) crush was mutual. It was hard to tell, though, since Bokuto wasn't the flirting kind. Tsukishima was pretty sure he was incapable of it. Instead, he was genuinely thrilled to see Kei every time he walked into the bakery, listened attentively when he spoke, and was always interested in his opinion on yesterday's treat. It was unlike anything else he experienced in the dating world, and it scared him a little. But it was charmingly sweet, his smile and laugh infectious. Kei found himself waiting impatiently every day for his work hours to be over so he could go to the bakery. Not even for the treats. Just to see Bokuto. He vowed to ask him out himself if the other doesn't make any move until the end of the month.

~

On the 31th of October, Kei arrived at the shop earlier than usual. He took half a day off just because Bokuto told him he's closing the shop early. The end of the month has arrived. It was time. Today, he'd have to grab life by the balls and possibly Bokuto too, if all goes according to plan.

With one last deep breath, he pushed the door open.

"Tsukki!" The man greeted him. On the blond's fourth trip to the shop, Bokuto complained that "Tsukishima" is too long and asked to call him "Tsukki" instead. Kei refused. Bokuto started doing it anyway.

"Hello, Bokuto-san." He acknowledged the other with a nod. There was a costumer at the counter, so he patiently waited until they left to approach.

"How was your day?" Bokuto asked, like he had every time they met.

"Fine, thank you. Not much has happened." _Except I took half a day off just to see you._ "And yours?"

"Much better, now that you're here!" He said earnestly. "Not that it was bad before, though. We sold pretty well actually! We're mostly empty, and I already had to turn away a few people who came looking for the sugar skulls." As usual, he provided more information than was strictly necessary, but Kei didn't mind. He liked hearing him talk about his day.

"That's good." Tsukishima nodded. "Uh, so you said you prepared a surprise for me...?" Bokuto has been dropping hints about an "experiment" for almost a week, and the day before he specifically told Tsukishima that his treat today will be a "surprise". Kei didn’t care much for surprises, but since it seemed to make Bokuto happy, he played along.

"Uh, yes, yes. Indeed. A surprise." Bokuto seemed hesitant. Nervous, even. He wasn't as enthusiastic and animated as he usually was. Suspicious.

Kei arched a single eyebrow at him. "Yes. A surprise. Could I see it, by any chance?"

"Uh, of course." Bokuto assured him. He still didn't make any move toward the back room, where Kei's special sweets were usually kept.

"So?"

"Okay, okay! Just... one second." Looking away, Bokuto held a finger in the air between them.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Kei wondered as the shorter finally disappeared into the back, only to return with a huge box in his hands. What the hell did he prepare for him? Will he even be able to eat it all on his own?

"Here." Bokuto laid it on the counter, immediately pulling back his hands as if the box burned him.

Kei looked at it curiously before pulling it over, and carefully opening the lid. The first thing that he noticed, before all the other decorations, were the words, carefully written in frosting: "Will you be the trick to my treat?"

Tsukishima burst into almost hysterical laughter. The gesture was as incredibly sweet and romantic as the words were ridiculous. He just couldn't help himself. It was the most Bokuto thing Bokuto has done in the month they've known each other, and will be the most Bokuto thing Kei will see for years to come. "Who-who's idea was this?" He finally managed to wheeze out.

"Uh... mine? I mean, my bro Kuroo helped some, but... yeah." He looked so confused, like he didn't know if he should be thrilled or dejected. "Uh, Tsukki? I kind of _really_ need you to tell me what you're thinking." His tone begged.

"Yes, yes, of course, I'm sorry." He fell victim to another short giggle attack before regaining his cool. Even then, the laugh stayed in the corners of his mouth and the way his eyes gleamed. "It's a yes. I'll be the trick to your treat, or whatever." If someone told Kei a month ago such lame words will leave his mouth without being forced to, he'd mock them. Now, he was just happy to see the man in front of him light up, his smile bigger and brighter than the sun.

Tsukishima would like to say he didn't eat that cake. That he let it sit in his fridge, and looked at it to remember Bokuto's face when he said yes. But no, he was a fucking glutton, and he binged the entire thing in two days, thanking the universe for his fast metabolism.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/etstruball)


End file.
